Along an assembly line, various types of articles, such as for example, diapers and other absorbent articles, may be assembled by adding components to and otherwise modifying an advancing, continuous web of material. For example, in some processes, advancing webs of material are combined with other advancing webs of material. In other examples, individual components created from advancing webs of material are combined with advancing webs of material, which in turn, are then combined with other advancing webs of material. Webs of material and component parts used to manufacture diapers may include: backsheets, topsheet, absorbent cores, front and/or back ears, fastener components, and various types of elastic webs and components such as leg elastics, barrier leg cuff elastics, and waist elastics. Once the desired component parts are assembled, the advancing web(s) and component parts are subjected to a final knife cut to separate the web(s) into discrete diapers or other absorbent articles. The discrete diapers or absorbent articles may also then be folded and packaged.
Various methods and apparatuses may be used for attaching different components to the advancing web and/or otherwise modify the advancing web. Some production operations are configured to advance substrates in a machine direction and cut and/or remove trim from the advancing substrates. In some operations, a substrate may advance through a cutting station that cuts trim from the advancing substrate. The trim may subsequently be diverted from the advancing substrate and machine direction and into a vacuum chute or other similar apparatus for disposal. In some instances after passing through the cutting nip, the trim may remain attached to the advancing substrate by a few uncut fibers after passing through the cutting station. As such, the trim may undesirably continue to advance with the substrate along the assembly line for further processing.